Saskatoon voters have spoken and they’ve decided they want to see the work being done by many school board trustees already seated at the city’s board tables continue for the next four years.

More than 30 people put their names forward for a chance to represent their communities in the city’s two largest divisions, with 14 people running for seats in the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and 21 running for the Saskatoon Public School Division.

Incumbent candidates reigned supreme for the most part; only Dan Danielson in Ward 4 of the public school division lost his seat to challenger Cameron Scott.

Ray Morrison, the acclaimed candidate in Ward 10 and incumbent board chair, said growth across the board will be one of biggest challenges.

“In the coming years we’re going to be faced with issues around growth, diversity and scarce resources when it comes to funding and allocation of funding as the school division continues to grow and get more diverse,” he said.

Diane Boyko, the incumbent Catholic board chair, was also re-elected, with more than 11,000 votes. She said she was thrilled with the results.

“Now what we’re going to have to do is work with the provincial government and the Ministry of Education and see what transformational change means,” she said. “And about the funding that is given to school boards to make sure all of our children are educated in the best way possible.”

Finances have been a key issue in the education sector in Saskatchewan in the months leading up to the election. The 2016-17 budget reduced provincial funding to 13 of the province’s 28 school divisions compared to last year.

Catholic division officials called the division’s recent $241 million budget one of the most challenging in recent memory; transportation, classroom renovation and replacement technology for teachers were all hit.

The public division had to pull from its operating reserves for a third year in a row to balance its $260 million budget, cutting three positions through attrition and redistribution from its central office and reducing several budget lines.

Charles Smith, a political scientist at St. Thomas More College, said the race results show citizens in Saskatoon are ready to get engaged in school board politics.

“To see the amount of votes and the amount of interest and to see that incumbents are actually defeated — which again is rare — would suggest that people are plugged in in a way that they haven’t been for a while,” he said.

Going up against an incumbent candidate is a challenge for any newcomer, but this is especially true in trustee races, Smith said. Some of the larger issues happening in education, including reduced funding and “exploding school populations,” could have spiked interest in the race, he added.

“Parents (are) questioning whether their kids are getting the best education … so you might see that being filtered through in these types of races.”

Ward 7, one of the most competitive public school seats with five candidates running to replace Bronwyn Eyre, now a Saskatchewan Party MLA in the Saskatoon Stonebridge-Dakota riding, was taken by educator Ross Tait.

In Ward 8, Suzanne Zwarych will replace longtime trustee Darrell Utley, who did not seek re-election.

The Catholic board also has a new face: Sharon Zakreski-Werbicki filled a vacant spot once held by Lisa Lambert, who is now a Saskatchewan Party MLA in the riding of Saskatoon Churchill-Wildwood.

Combined, the two divisions are responsible for about 42,300 students in Saskatoon.

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